Casualty-indicator.



A. M. MITCHELL.

CASUALTY INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED 21:13.11, 1909. 1

1,029,550, Patented June 11,1912.

ATTORNEY COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 50..vvASrmmrcuNv n. c.

ABDON 1V1. MITCHELL, OF IELUSI-IING, NEW YORK.

CASUALTY-INDICATOR.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARDON M. MITCHELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Flushing, in the county of Queens and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCasualty-Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide means of positively designatingthe vehicle that collides with a pedestrian or other object. I do thisby means of an indicator, constructed with a glass-front or some otherfragile and transparent facing, behind which are bars containing anumber of disks, spheres or other movable devices, having the registerednumber of the automobile, or other motor or other vehicle, whichtogether with the projecting hammers are rigidly attached to levers on afulcrum, the forward ends of which levers are also connected rigidly toa bar, designed to be placed forward of, and parallel with the frontaxles of the vehicle, extended evenly with the hub of the wheel, and infront of the same. By these means, whenever the bar strikes an object,the levers are thrown down, and the bars and hammers are thrown forward;the hammers breaking the glass, and the disks, or other movable devices,projected from the bars and thrown forward in every direction. Thesedisks are projected forcibly by springs that are released at the sameinstant that the glass is broken, and the bearers protrude from theindicator frame. In such acase, if the driver of the vehicle attempts torun away, the bro-ken glass would indicate to the observer, as well asthe missing disks strewn along the road, that the machine had collidedwith some person or thing. I p I A very valuable feature of my inventionis that its designprecludes any possibility of its being tampered with.The disks or other devices are inclosed in a case, the face of whichis'preferably glass; and are always in sight. When this case is lockedby the municipal or other authorities, and the arms or bearers loadedwith the disks, or other spheres, or movable devices, bearing the numberof the machine, the identity of the 1 nuts 15.

machine would be immediately detected.

Of course, it would be necessary in order to bring this device intogeneral use, that a governmental ordinance shall require the adoption ofthis device, requiring that it be.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 11, 1909.

. vice.

Patented June 11, 1912.

Se1'ia1 No. 477,303.

a new supply of numbered disks from the authorities. 7

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, in which Figure 1, is a front elevation of the de- Fig. 2, is atransverse section showing the parts in their operative relation. Fig.3, is a similar view showing the position of the parts after the devicehas been operated, and Fig. 4, is a top plan view of one of the disks.

Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The numeral 1, denotes a casing, open at one side, and having positionedtherein near the bottom thereof the rock shaft 2. Mounted upon this rockshaft and secured thereto are a plurality of hell crank levers 3, theouter ends of which extend exteriorly of the casing and are connected bya horizontal bar 5. The other ends of the bell crank levers extend in avertical direction and are encircled by the extensible springs 6, oneend of each of which is connected to the lever as at 7 Midway in thecasing between the shaft 2, and the upper ends of the levers is a combshaped member 8, and the vertical ends 9 of the levers 3, extend throughthe indentations of this comb, which thus serves to retain the springs6, in operative relation as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Positioned upon theends 9, of the levers above the member 8, are a number of disks orplates 10. Likewise secured to the rock shaft 2, and the horizontal bar5, is a second series of hell crank levers 11, the vertical ends 12, ofwhich lie in the same plane as the ends 9, of the levers 3, and passthrough the comb member 8, above which they are bent outwardly towardthe open end of the casing to form the hammers or strikers 13. A seriesof light coil springs 1 bearagainst the rear of the above describedmechanism and tends to push the same toward the front of the device,and'the tension of the springs 14, can be adjusted by means of the thumbExtending through a slot 16, in the top of the casing is a frame 17,carrying a sheet of glass 18, which glass extends downward to a pointimmediately over the levers 3, any

further downward movement being prevent ed by means of the abutments orsteps 19. The frame is beveled as at 20, to admit of the glass fallingout readily when broken, and the frame is secured to the casing againstunauthorized removal by means of the lock 21. The whole device can bemounted in any desired position on an automobile by means of thebrackets or lugs 22.

lVhen the bar 5 is struck, the lower arms 3 and 11 of the levers arepushed back, throwing the other arms of the levers 9 and 12 forward, thehammers 13, breaking the glass, and the springs 6, being released fromthe comb 8,the projectiles 10, are thrown off the arms 9, and forward inall directions from the arms whenever the movementis sufficient to firstbreak the glass, as will be the case when any object is struck. Then theupper end of those bars which are bent over to form hammers are releasedand break the glass, and the arms containing these devices aforesaid,being also released, the projectiles are sent flying in all directions,in which case, the number of the machine being inscribed on the same,the occupant of the machine, on account of the great number and widedisposition of said devices, will generally be unable to recover them,which fact together with the breaking of the glass, would preclude thepossibility of his escaping detection. It is obvious that when thesearms and hammers are held back by a hold-back spring, 14L, properlyadjusted, a very slight collision with the bar 5, would not materiallyinterfere with the device, or cause it to act, but a materialinterference would overcome said last mentioned spring, and throwthearms and hammers forward, releasing the projectiles as soon as said armsare forced out of the case.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is l. A casualty indicator, comprising, incombination with a vehicle, a plurality of identification means, meansremovably supporting said identification means, a fender, and means forforcibly expelling said identification means upon collision of saidfender with an object.

2. A casualty indicator, comprising, in combination with a vehicle, aplurality of identification means, means normally supporting saididentification means in removable position, a forwardly projectingelement rigid with said supporting means, and means for forciblyexpelling said identification means upon collision of said projectingelement with an object.

3. A casualty indicator, comprising, in combination with a vehicle, aplurality of identification means, a plurality of supports for holdingsaid identification means in po-;

sition for removal, means for forcibly exsaid identification means atrest, an expelling means, means for normally restraining said expellingmeans, and a fender rigidly mounted on said supporting means andprojecting forwardly therefrom and adapted to release said expellingmeans upon collision of said fender with an object.

5. A casualty indicator composed of a rock shaft, a series of armsvertically carried by said rock shaft, a bar located in front of and inrigid connection with said rock shaft, springs surrounding said arms,means for normally holding said arms in restraint, means for holdingsaid springs compressed,

and a plurality of identification means carried by each of the arms. 7

6. A casualty indicator, comprising, in combination with a vehicle, aplurality of identification means, supports for holding saididentification means at rest, an expelling means, means interposedbetween said expelling means and said identification means for normallyrestraining said expelling means, and a fender projected forwardly fromsaid indicator and adapted to rock said supports to release saidexpelling f means.

7 A casualty indicator, comprising, in combination, a case adapted to bemounted on a vehicle, and having a frangible front, a

plurality of indentification means within said case, and means operatedupon contact of said means with an ob ect for breaklng said frangiblefront and means for ejecting said identification means from said case.

8. A casualty indicator, composed of a case having a frangible front, aplurality of identification means; means upon which said identificationmeans are carried, springretracted strikers bearing against saidfrangible front and adapted to break the latter, said carrying means andsaid strikers being movable together, devicesfor ejecting saididentification means mounted on said carrying means, and means foroperating said spring retracted strikers and releasing said 10. Acasualty indicator embodying a movable bar adapted to be mounted on avehicle and arranged across the front there of so as to contact with anobject in case of collision, a series of levers connected to said barand having a pivotal mounting, Whereby to be rocked by said bar, aplurality of identification means borne by each lever, and means,whereby, when said bar contacts with an object, said identificationmeans will be forcibly ejected from said levers.

11. A casualty indicator, comprising, in combination with a vehicle, acase mounted on said vehicle, and having a frangible front, means forbreaking said front at a plurality of points simultaneously, meansconnected to said front breaking means and adapted to actuate the latterupon collision With an object, identification means in said case,-meansfor supporting said identification means and means for ejecting saididentification means from said case, mounted on said supporting meansand adapted to eject said identification means when said breaking meansis actuated.

12. In combination, means for supporting an automobile number, a trip,and means whereby a movement of the trip relative to the automobilereleases said number.

13. In combination, means for supporting a license number, a tripextending transversely of the car in front thereof, and means whereby amovement of the trip relative to the car releases said number andpermits it to drop to the ground.

14:. An attachment for motor vehicles, comprising a bumper or fenderextending transversely of the vehicle in front thereof, supports forsaid bumper or fender, each including two relatively-movable sections,an identification tag, and means for releasing said tag upon a relativemovement of said sections.

15. An attachment for motor vehicles, comprising, a fender extendingtransversely in front of the vehicle, means for supporting said fenderand including relatively-movable parts, an identification tag, movablemembers for supporting said tag and means for moving said members to aposition to re- ,lease the tag upon a relative movement of saidfender-supporting parts.

16. In combination with a vehicle, an identification device, armsretaining said device in position on the vehicle, and a rod operativelyconnected to said arms and adapted to cause the same to move out ofengagement wit-h the identification device when the rod is struck by anobject in the path of the vehicle.

17. An attachment for motor cars, com prising a jointed frame providedwith a fender, a check box carrying a plurality of identificationchecks, and means having connection with said frame for causing the escape of a check from said box upon contact of the fender with anobstruction such as a human being.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

ARDON M. MITCHELL.

Witnesses:

J. B. SABINE,

W. MAINLAND.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G.

